Chavez attacks free enterprise - al Jazeera

Venezuela's strongman president, Hugo Chavez, is attacking his country's privately owned supermarkets and threatening to have the government take them over. He has already confiscated tons of food from the private companies and sold it at discount prices.

Remember, this is a man who convinced the Venezuelan legislative body, which his party controls, to give him the power to enact laws on his own.

The United States came dangerously close to this with George W. Bush and the Republican controlled Congress. Fortunately, the American voters rose up and said, "Enough!"

Hopefully, the Venezuelan people, they will soon see through their meglomaniac. But it is South America after all ...

From Al Jazeera:

Venezuela's president has warned that privately owned supermarkets and food storage facilities which hoard food or violate price controls could be nationalised.

Hugo Chavez has accused companies of holding back produce in order to artificially inflate prices.

"If they remain committed to violating the interests of the people, the constitution, the laws, I'm going to take the food storage units, corner stores, supermarkets and nationalise them," Chavez said during a televised broadcast. "So prepare yourselves!"

In recent months, basic goods such as sugar, pasteurised whole milk and meat have been in short supply in supermarkets.

Producers complained that price controls had left them unable to make their businesses profitable forcing the government to end value added tax on basic goods and announce subsidies for producers.

Warehouses raided

Venezuela's consumer protection agency and National Guard have raided warehouses and confiscated tons of food they say vendors were unwilling to sell at the official price. The seized food was then sold at low-cost markets and makeshift distribution centres.